DALLAS — Gloria Grace Orapello, a former employee at the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), who pled guilty in February to one count of theft from an organization receiving federal funds, was sentenced today in federal court in Dallas, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle sentenced Orapello to 12 months in prison and ordered her to pay restitution. As part of her plea agreement with the government, Orapello agreed to pay $100,000 restitution to the DISD. A reporting date was not set.

As an employee in the Administrative Division of DISD, Orapello received a credit card, also known as a procurement card (P-Card), as part of her employment at DISD, knowing that the P-Card was to be used "for district purchases only." In fact, DISD employees, including Orapello, signed Procurement Cardholder Agreement Forms that stated, "I understand that under no circumstances will I use the procurement card to make personal purchases, either for others or myself." Orapello admitted that she knowingly purchased numerous personal items for her own use with a P-Card issued to her by DISD.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Education. The case was being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Hastings.